A security man, Sule Oladepo, 38 attached to the Warehouse Road, Apapa, Lagos branch of Ecobank Nigeria Plc has been arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate Court for allegedly conniving with the female branch manager of the bank, identified simply as Theresa, now on the run, to fraudulently withdraw the sum of N400 million from the account of the bank.
A police source alleged that the fraud was uncovered by the management of the bank’s headquarters after they audited the account books and reported the incident to the Divisional Police Officer, DPO in charge of Ikoyi Division, Ikoyi, Lagos, CSP Tijani Mustapha N’abba, who directed his team led by Inspector Tope Ifafuyi to fish out the suspects involved in the alleged fraud.
The source alleged that the security man was arrested at a hide out in Apapa, Lagos and taken to the station, adding that during investigation, the security man led the police to the residence of the fleeing female manager of the Apapa branch of the bank at Okota, Isolo area of Lagos where they discovered that she had hurriedly packed out to an unknown place.
The police said they have launched a man hunt for the fleeing female manager.
The security man was charged before an Igbosere Magistrate court, on a three-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.
Police counsel, Reuben Solomon informed the court in charge No: M/48/2018 that the accused and others still at large committed the offence between April and May 2018 at Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Lagos.
Solomon told the court that the accused connived with the fleeing female branch manager of the bank to fraudulently withdraw the sum of N400 million from the account of their employer and allegedly shared it.
Solomon said the offences, the accused committed were punishable under sections 411, 287 (7) and 325 of the criminal laws of Lagos State.
Oladepo, however, pleaded not guilty to the alleged crime and Magistrate A.M Davies granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
Davies adjourned the case till 10 September, 2018 for trial and ordered that the defendant be kept at the Ikoyi Prison, Lagos till he perfected the bail conditions.
